There are several tags that are associated with the background of a word:
But for historical-change, both the definition page and the tagged questions don't indicate to me that it merits distinction from either etymology nor history. I therefore recommend historical-change be merged with history, since it is the closer of the two.
Does anyone see a use for keeping them separate? If so, clarification of the distinction(s) between them should be added to their respective info pages (linked above in bullets).
historical-changesuggests to me questions about words/phrases from old times still in use today, with a probable evolution in meaning.historycould be about similar questions, but it could also be about questions featuring words that are now extinct. I think there's no harm in keeping the two tags separate. – Tushar Raj Jan 19 '17 at 9:24